Chanel’s colour analysis for SS25 Couture collection A colourful return to the heart of the Grand Palais

True to its roots and the venue that has witnessed some of the most iconic shows in its history, this afternoon, Chanel once again presented its Couture SS25 collection within the glass walls of Paris' Grand Palais. While the entire fashion world eagerly awaits the debut of Chanel’s new creative director, Matthieu Blazy, who will present his first collection this autumn, the House’s design studio continues to serve loyally, offering a collection of fifty looks today. Set in the central nave of the Grand Palais, with a runway shaped into the iconic double C that has epitomized the brand for decades, models began their slow procession. While Gabrielle Chanel and her successor Karl Lagerfeld had an unwavering love for monochrome—black, white, and their schematic simplicity—this SS25 show is bursting with color. 

However, while the ready-to-wear SS25 collection presented last September (also by the design studio) hinted at glimpses of a pre-Virginie Viard Chanel that felt more current and less old-fashioned, this Couture collection dims our hopes for a fresh and vibrant Chanel. Chanel’s essence lies in the use of rigid fabrics like tweed, straight, non-revealing silhouettes, and strict embellishments like pearls, which, by nature, are not the most modern elements. Yet, Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel proved that pearls could be cool, two-piece suits could be chic and stylish, and tweed could be cut into the most flattering of dresses. Over the past few years, returning to this version of Chanel seems challenging, as evidenced by the Couture SS25 collection, which, despite the strong and incredibly promising heritage of the Rue Cambon House, does not fully utilize its potential. "Comfort has forms. Love has colors," Coco Chanel once said. We are left hoping for one thing: for Chanel to surprise us with its forms—comfortable or not—and to fill us with love through its colors. Matthieu Blazy, you know what you have to do.